Comments on: Cheerful Frugality Eats Out

By: crystal

crystal — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 01:04:36 +0000

We have three teen boys ages 18.17 and 14 there have been many times we’ve gone to Ruby Tuesdays, Apple Bee’s or others and they have shared a meal with me or someone else. Since one of us would not finish a full meal, there is no sense paying for the extra.

By: Sheree

Sheree — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 03:42:59 +0000

We eat at a local chinese restaurant…usually 3 meals will feed my family of seven for about $30. Thats a little less than $5 per person and everyone gets full and we usually have a bit left over. When my inlaws take us out for dinner we usually eat at a buffet where the little ones are free and the meal prices are based on the ages of the kids which makes it really nice. IIRC, 3 & under eat free, 4-6 are $1.99, 6-12 are $3.99 and then the adult prices are $6,99. Not too terribly bad. Its a shame more restaurants don’t price like that.
CeCe’s pizza is also fairly reasonable with the children’s prices.

By: Shari

Shari — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 00:04:15 +0000

My husband and I go out to eat for a date a few times a year to celebrate an anniversary or special event and we always share a meal. We normally go some place pretty nice like the Outback steak house. We would be glutens to eat a whole meal ourselves and we are being good stewards of our finances.

By: MerchantShips

MerchantShips — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 03:43:47 +0000

Thanks, Sheree. You did not offend me!

When I ask a question, I truly want to learn from the answers people give–not just have someone confirm what I already did.

I’m serious about doing what is right for the servers, not just the restaurant corporation, and for me, that may mean choosing alternatives during these years with kids.

And as Henrietta pointed out, I”ll be saving a lot more money that way, too.

By: Martha

Martha — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 18:14:46 +0000

We are, I guess what most people would call fairly poor. We have been really poor and yes, we never ever, ever ate out unless someone took us out. Otherwise we usually go out around my husband’s and my birthdays. There are two resteraunts here, one is Sizzler where on the monday after your birthday they give you a free dinner. My husbands birthday and mine are to days apart so we buy all the boys dinners and since it is a buffet there is not much waitress service as you order up front so tipping is not as much.
The other one is a local tiny resteraunt that also gives you a free meal after your birthday up to $8.99 each (it is a cheap place with homemade style food). We buy the boys dinners, usually 3 dinners and a extra side of fries and they all eat happy with leftovers.
I will not order too much food because I think we have to order a meal per person, it is not right. It is wasteful and wrong. We take leftovers home and eat them for lunch.
The only other places we will go is a Chinese Buffet for lunch as it is cheaper than dinner and the young children are free and a Mexican place. You can order a extra large platter of Nachos and the children like that. My husband gets a hamburger even there and I order either a seniors or child plate (most places let you do that with a smaller appetite) and the cost is lower.
Really, I think we go out to eat altogether, maybe 4 times a year. We will on occasion buy a $5 pizza from Little Ceasers.

By: Sheree

Sheree — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 17:58:09 +0000

One more thought: Please don’t let those criticisms get to you. You did nothing wrong. Just ignore those people. You are raising a lovely family and doing your best with what God gave you. If they can’t understand that, then its their problem.

By: Sheree

Sheree — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 17:52:30 +0000

Meridith,
I truly hope that you did not take my comment on your blog as criticism. Having 5 children myself I totally understand how silly it is to pay $5 for a meal that your child will only take 2 bits of. I just wanted to explain from a restaurant perspective why they frown on it, not that I agree with them, kwim?
I think that if you go back up and read Meangoose’s comment on here that she says it so much better than I ever could, also having been a waitress for years. I loved waitressing for the most part, but it is hard work and they are human after all. I think that Meangoose says it all very well, much better than I could have!

By: Robyn

Robyn — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 20:35:25 +0000

I think you are making a great example for your kids, in fact I remember my mom making the same decisions when I was a kid and I know I was a certain age when I got to pick my own meal, and it was still a kids meal. I was also a server in college and now base my tips on 1) how messy my kid was 2) how demanding we were 3) how the service was, given the environment…. NOT the size of the table. The server or the guests don’t have anything to do with that, and they should never hold that against you.

By: 50s Housewife

50s Housewife — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 17:06:34 +0000

I was a waitress myself many years ago and I never thought anything of people sharing an entree, especially with children. My children are all older and big eaters now, but we used to let them share entrees with each other or with us, and we usually ordered water to save the cost of a drink. I see nothing wrong with that.

When my mom and I go out to lunch we share an entree. The portions are huge and we figure it’s better to share than to leave lots of wasted food. My husband is too big an eater to share. He’ll eat his entree and half of mine.

By: Lori - Queen of Dirty Laundry

Lori - Queen of Dirty Laundry — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 23:32:38 +0000

Wow, I would never have thought this would be a hot topic AT ALL, but I’ll throw my thoughts into the mix, for what they’re worth.

We have three daughters, ages 5, 7 and 8. At least half the time they share meals, whether with us or with each other. I have never even considered the fact that we were required, whether by the restaurant or by etiquette, to purchase a full meal for each person. Never.

When we go to a restaurant that’s buffet style, like chinese, pizza, etc. then of course we pay for each person.